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FOR THE LIVING OF THESE DAYS
Margaret Helen U. Alvarez
FD Opening Worship, August 6, 2023

Friends, good morning.

On occasions such as these, when we celebrate the founding anniversary of �������ϲ���עƽ̨, we are always tempted to look back to its history in search of meaning and inspiration. But I would like us to focus on our present and our future and achieve the same purpose.

We are all familiar with the prayer written by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr that has since become known as the “prayer for all seasons”.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Serenity, courage, wisdom. For the living of these days.

What does it mean to have serenity?

Serenity is the absence of mental stress and anxiety; it is a state of quietness or quietude, calm, peace of mind, heartsease, and tranquility.

There are things in our life that are unchangeable givens. God says to Joshua, “do not be terrified; do not be discouraged by the odds before you.” Helen Keller was blind; Beethoven was deaf. We all have a share of things that cannot be changed. At the forks of life, is there only one road that is open? Do we have a one-track view of life and a one-track mind? Do we lie helplessly and hopelessly obsessed when there are things we simply cannot get?

When I graduated from college, my older brother urged me to apply for a job in Manila in the business setting. I took all the necessary exams—most of which I had memorized the answers to because I had trained in psychological testing. I didn’t get the job. I wanted to be a teacher, so I applied for a teaching job at a university in Cebu. I didn’t get it either. The alternative was graduate school which I did not necessarily want, but it was a window where I saw only closed doors. It was also Helen Keller who said, “Do not despair if one door closes before you, be sensitive to other doors that will open.”

In the end, I guess, serenity is about faith.

What does it mean to have courage? Or to be courageous?

We recently had a death in the family—the mother of eight children, none of whom volunteered to speak on behalf of the family. This I find is an issue all families deal with in times of grief when we wish only for privacy. When my mother died, I recall that I did not wish to speak, but a colleague then told me that if I did not do so, I might regret it. Then, when my father died, my brother told me to be the one to say something, pointing out that there were just the two of us left, who then should do so? I never thought to ask him, why not you, then? Of course, I never thought then that it truly was about summoning courage.

Life can be full of challenges, sorrows, and tough decisions. But even amidst hardship, the Lord counsels us to be strong and courageous. Understanding Joshua 1:9 in the Bible can help us face hard things with faith and confidence.

^{9&�Բ�����;“}Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

How many times do we need to be strong? To have courage? To not be scared? To not give in to discouragement? If you want a verse that can speak to almost every challenge we face in life, it’s Joshua 1:9. It tells us we can be strong and courageous, unafraid, and encouraged, because God will be with us wherever we go and come through for us in whatever way we need.

Or does it?

The actual context of the verse is about a specific mission given by God, to a specific man named Joshua. Throughout the wider passage, three times God says, “be strong and courageous.” And God was very specific about where that strength and courage should be applied. Joshua was to be strong and courageous as he led the people. He was to be strong and courageous in obeying God’s word. And finally, in Joshua 1:9, he was to be strong and courageous in terms of endurance.

The more popular version reads: “Be strong and of good courage”. It’s not just courage, but good courage!

To “be of good courage” is to possess an inner quality that enables a person to confront danger and difficulty without fear and with calmness, boldness, confidence, strength, and trust instead.

What, finally, does it mean to have wisdom?

Wisdom is not uncommon in our world of intellectually smart people. But the wisdom that Niebuhr refers to is wisdom on bended knee, wisdom that is obedient to the summons of the divine.

In times of crisis and decision-making, I’ve been told, “You’re the psychologist. You should know what to do.” I don’t always know what to do, let alone be wise in everything that requires a decision.

The English essayist William Hazlitt said, “The seat of knowledge is the head, but the seat of wisdom is the heart. We are sure to judge wrong if we do not feel right.” In the world we live in we need to distinguish between the fake and genuine, between what destroys human life and what enhances. A tall order, certainly. Small wonder there is a very real demand for therapists and for pastors.

There is a book by Eileen Flanagan entitled “The Wisdom to Know the Difference”. But how exactly can we know the difference? How can we acknowledge the real limits that we face without negating the possibility for dramatic change?

Drawing on her own Quaker faith and a range of other religious and spiritual traditions, Flanagan shows readers how such practices as sifting through preconceived cultural notions and listening to our own inner voice can help us determine when a change is needed in our lives or when instead acceptance is the answer. Serenity comes when one has gained the wisdom to know the difference.But how exactly can we know the difference? How can we acknowledge the real limits that we face without negating the possibility for dramatic change? In this wise book, Eileen Flanagan guides readers in determining what they can-or perhaps should- change in their lives, accepting what they cannot, and discovering the “wisdom to know the difference.”

Drawing on her own Quaker faith as well as a range of other religious and spiritual traditions, Flanagan shows readers how such practices as sifting through culturally preconceived notions and listening to our own inner voice can help us determine when a change is needed in our lives or when instead acceptance is the answer.

This illuminating book takes the reader by the hand to discover the serenity that comes when one has gained the wisdom to know the difference.

Yesterday, as we entered a supermarket, I remarked to my son how strange it was that the security guard did not tell us to wear a mask. He responded, “Yes, Ma, we lived through that.” And I am painfully reminded that so many did not.

Serenity, balance, equanimity, heartsease, tranquility, courage, trust, wisdom, faith, hope, and love…but the greatest of these is love.

Friends, aBut how exactly can we know the difference? How can we acknowledge the real limits that we face without negating the possibility for dramatic change? In this wise book, Eileen Flanagan guides readers in determining what they can-or perhaps should- change in their lives, accepting what they cannot, and discovering the “wisdom to know the difference.”

Drawing on her own Quaker faith as well as a range of other religious and spiritual traditions, Flanagan shows readers how such practices as sifting through culturally preconceived notions and listening to our own inner voice can help us determine when a change is needed in our lives or when instead acceptance is the answer.

This illuminating book takes the reader by the hand to discover the serenity that comes when one has gained the wisdom to know the difference.s we prepare therefore for a month of remembering, let us take the words of this hymn to heart:

But how exactly can we know the difference? How can we acknowledge the real limits that we face without negating the possibility for dramatic change? In this wise book, Eileen Flanagan guides readers in determining what they can-or perhaps should- change in their lives, accepting what they cannot, and discovering the “wisdom to know the difference.”

Drawing on her own Quaker faith as well as a range of other religious and spiritual traditions, Flanagan shows readers how such practices as sifting through culturally preconceived notions and listening to our own inner voice can help us determine when a change is needed in our lives or when instead acceptance is the answer.

This illuminating book takes the reader by the hand to discover the serenity that comes when one has gained the wisdom to know the difference.

But how exactly can we know the difference? How can we acknowledge the real limits that we face without negating the possibility for dramatic change? In this wise book, Eileen Flanagan guides readers in determining what they can-or perhaps should- change in their lives, accepting what they cannot, and discovering the “wisdom to know the difference.”

Drawing on her own Quaker faith as well as a range of other religious and spiritual traditions, Flanagan shows readers how such practices as sifting through culturally preconceived notions and listening to our own inner voice can help us determine when a change is needed in our lives or when instead acceptance is the answer.

This illuminating book takes the reader by the hand to discover the serenity that comes when one has gained the wisdom to know the difference.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.

AMEN.